Removal of Radionuclides from Fukushima Daiichi Waste Effluents

This paper describes the processes used at the Fukushima Daiichi plant, Japan, to purify the waste effluents generated in the cooling of damaged reactors. These include primary cesium removal with the Kurion zeolite system and the SARRY system utilizing silicotitanate to remove radiocesium from water recirculated to reactors for cooling. Another process is the ALPS system to purify the retentates of the reverse osmosis plant to further purify the water from radionuclides after primary cesium separation. In ALPS, a major role is played by the transition metal hexacyanoferrate product CsTreat and sodium titanate SrTreat in the removal of radiocesium and radiostrontium, respectively. The performance of these four exchangers (zeolite, silicotitanate, hexacyanoferrate, and sodium titanate) is critically analyzed with respect to processing capacities and the decontamination factors obtained in the processes. Furthermore, general information on preparation, structure and ion exchange of these ion-exchanger categories is given with additional information on their use in nuclear waste effluent treatment processes. Finally, the importance of selectivity and associated factors are discussed.     

Synthesis and metallochromic properties of some hydrazones of 2-, 3- and 8-hydrazinoquinoline

Twenty-two new hydrazones were synthesized for evaluation as possible calorimetric reagents for trace determinations of iron, cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc. Spectrophotometric studies revealed that several show promise as sensitive reagents, with possible utility for simultaneous determinations of two or more of the metals. Conclusions regarding geometric structures of some of the hydrazones and chelates were deduced from mole-ratio studies.     

Effects of lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation on expression of growth-associated genes by corticospinal neurons

Background  

Inflammation around cell bodies of primary sensory neurons and retinal ganglion cells enhances expression of neuronal growth-associated genes and stimulates axonal regeneration. We have asked if inflammation would have similar effects on corticospinal neurons, which normally show little response to spinal cord injury. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was applied onto the pial surface of the motor cortex of adult rats with or without concomitant injury of the corticospinal tract at C4. Inflammation around corticospinal tract cell bodies in the motor cortex was assessed by immunohistochemistry for OX42 (a microglia and macrophage marker). Expression of growth-associated genes c-jun, ATF3, SCG10 and GAP-43 was investigated by immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridisation.     

Neolithic ceramic findings from western Sicily. Chemical-physical and mineralogical characterization

This paper presents the results of a study that is part of a wider research program regarding the knowledge of the initial living phases of Sicilian agricultural and pastoral societies. Three ceramic samples attributed to the medium initial Neolithic (NEO1 and NEO2) and to the first neolithic (NEO3), recovered in two different archaeological sites of the western Sicily, have been analysed. Chemical, mineralogical and spectroscopic data point out a similarity between NEO1 and NEO3 samples; compositional and morphological differences instead have been observed in the NEO2 sample. The firing temperatures of the samples have been estimated by M?ssbauer spectroscopy; they are lower than 500 degrees C for the samples NEO1 and NEO3, and about 700 degrees C for NEO2.     

Characterization of Phoenician pottery from Mothia by neutron activation analysis

The concentration of 7 elements (Na, Al, Mg, Ti, Ca, V, Mn) was determined by Neutron Activation Analysis in 35 samples of pottery and 14 samples of clay. The samples were collected in Mothia (a Phoenician stronghold in Sicily during 5^th–4^th century B. C.) and in its neighbourhoods. Cluster analysis of the data showed that most of the samples are homogeneous and confirmed the archaeological evidence that they are mostly local ware. The detailed results of the analyses are reported and the technique used for cluster analysis is described.     

Beta-delayed proton emitter kr

The nucleide ⁷³Kr has been identified by on-line mass separation as a precursor of β-delayed proton emission. The proton branch is (6.8 ±1.2) × 10⁻³ proton/decay. The protons populate the ground state and also the first excited 2⁺ state at 866 keV in ⁷²Se with a relative intensity of (35±9) %. The value of Q_EC−B_p, where B_p is the proton separation energy for the nucleus ⁷³Br, is found to be 4.85 ±0.30 MeV based on the fraction of proton events preceded by positron decay.     

Spectrophotometric determination of iron and reducing agents with PPTS, a new water-soluble ferroin-type chromogen of superior sensitivity

A sulphonated derivative of 3-(4-phenyl-2-pyridyl)-5-phenyl-1,2,4-triazine has been prepared, its structure identified, and its chelation products with iron(II) and copper(I) identified and characterized. The water-soluble compound, referred to as PPTS, has been applied to the determination of iron in various types of samples and the spectrophotometric determination of trace quantities of certain reductants.     

Reading entanglement in terms of spin configurations in quantum magnets

We consider a quantum many-body system made of N interacting S=1/2 spins on a lattice, and develop a formalism which allows to extract, out of conventional magnetic observables, the quantum probabilities for any selected spin pair to be in maximally entangled or factorized two-spin states. This result is used in order to capture the meaning of entanglement properties in terms of magnetic behavior. In particular, we consider the concurrence between two spins and show how its expression extracts information on the presence of bipartite entanglement out of the probability distributions relative to specific sets of two-spin quantum states. We apply the above findings to the antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model in a uniform magnetic field, both on a chain and on a two-leg ladder. Using Quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we obtain the above probability distributions and the associated entanglement, discussing their evolution under application of the field.     

A fluorescent sensor with high selectivity and sensitivity for potassium in water

This communication describes a new optical sensor suitable for practical measurement of extracellular (serum or whole blood) potassium. The sensor responds rapidly and reversibly to changes in potassium concentrations typical of whole blood samples. No interferences from clinical concentrations of calcium or pH are observed, and the sodium interference is very minor. Excitation and emission occur in the visible light region. This new potassium sensor is currently used in the Roche OPTI CCA, a commercially available whole blood analyzer.